Eyeshield



April 7, 1925. 1,532,317

si. w. KINGSBURYi EYESHIELD Filed Feb. 1'0, 1923 MHQWHQLQ.

Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

man

wwe;

STATS 'raar orties.

v EYESHIELD.

Application filed February To all tol-tom it may conce/rn.'

Be it known that l, liniuUND liVinoiinsrnn liizosnnnr, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Framingham, in the county of Middlesex andState of ll/lassachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Eyeshields, Aof which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a screen or shield for the eyesof the user, at once available, whenever and while a blinding lightinterferes with the lines of vision demanded of him.

For example, my screen is of very great utility to motorists at night,in avoiding the disconcerting glare of the headlights of an oncomingmotor car.

lt is common knowledge that while the lights of a motor car are suicientto show up to the driver the character of the middle and the sides of aroad in front of the oar, they become, and remain, utterly uselessduring the period of time the lights of an oncoming car are visible,close at'haiid. In fact, during this period, safety demands that thedriver, whose eyes are dazzled, shall bring his car to a dead stopbeside the road until the oncoming car has gone by, or shall move itslowly ahead, but without knowing what if anything may be in the way, inthe pitchy darkness fearfully intensified by the lights brilliancy.

Obviously, in the dark, ones best sight is his normal sight, and smokedor colored glasses cannot be comfortably or safely used. lt is alsoobvious that should a glaring headlight appear and approach, some screenor shield for the eyes of a motor driver is at once a great necessity,`if he intends to continuey going on at normal speed. Now my inventionpermits him to do so; and may be said to reside, broadly, in a devicemade up of a piece of transparent material through which a person mayobserve a blinding light without bbjectionable interference with hisvision, and means whereby said piece may be removably mounted on hishead, so that when his head is in normal position, said piece is not inhis normal line of vision, but may, by a slight inclination of the head,be moved into a position to intercept the blinding rays of light and notseriously interfere with his sight of adjacent objects, and after theblinding lights have ceased, said piece 1Q, 1823. Serial No. 6718,303.

may, by a slight opposite inclination of the head, be moved out` of hissaid normal line of vision;` his normal line of vision at once becomingunobstructed.

ln the drawings, illustrating the principle of inyinvention, and the,best mode now known to me of' embodying it inoperative structure, y

F ig. l is a perspective view of such a structure; .i

Fig. 2 shows it in side elevation removably secured to the head of the.user, the shield being above its normal line of sight;

Fig. 3 is a like view, the shield being in the said normal line ofsight; and

Fig. l illustrates the disposition of the shield, in a container for it.

A. small sheet l of colored glass, celluloid or other suitable materialof a transparent nature is enclosed witha metal frame 2. Said irame ishinged at its central portion 3 to a thin flexible strip of steel el,for example, designed to rest against the fore head; an adjustable headstrap 5, say of elastic material, being secured to said forehead stripel, and arranged to fasten around the head.

The shield, when worn, ready for use, is held in a position shown inFig. 2. The small shield is above the normal line of vision 6, and in noway interferes with it; it is out of use; but, should a glare of lightsuddenly confront the user, the latter, by a slight forward inclinationof the head, as shown in Fig. 3, would bring the shield down into theline of the glaring light 7, which would then be seen through the colored shield l, and become to the observer sufficiently dimmed to be notdangerously objectionable; while once the dazzling light is passed, amere raising of the head puts the shield once more out of the line ofvision of normal sight 1, Fig. 2.

In short, the shield, when worn, which would be instantly ready for usewhen need* ed; and, at once, when not needed, could be moved out of theline of vision; thus making, for example, driving at night safer andpleasanter than it has been heretofore.

lt will be further observed that in. the

preferred construction of my device it is.

important that the shield-frame shall be sup ported in a substantial wayand at the proper angle with reference to the forehead of the wearer; toprovide this support, l use the flat stiff band 4 curved transversely toit flat against the forehead of the wearer With means tor hold ittightly thereagainst, so as to thereby prevent the shield-frame and saidband et from tilting downwardly with reference to the forehead. By meansof this forehead-band t and an adjustable head-band, the device may becomfortably fastened to the head of the wearer in such position that theshield-frame will project out-forwardly and'lie, When the head of thewearer is in normal upright position7 just above the line of vision` andthnslbe entirely out of the YWay under normal conditions. l havev shownthe shield-.frame connected to this ystillfbarnl by means ot a hinge,but it Will loe-*understood that. other Ways of connecting the band maybe resorted to Without depanting from-iA my invention.-

It is to be observed that I do not limit myself to the.structnrehereinshown ano de'- scribed, for the principle employed maybe embodied innumerous forms; and desiring to protect my invention inthe boardestmanner legallyrpossible,

Whati claim is:

A device of the class set forth embodying a thin piece of materialthrough which a person may observe a blinding light Withoutobjectionable interference with his vision, a frame in which saidmaterial is mounted, a curved band adapted to fit fiat against theforehead of said person, this band being attached to the upper edge ofsaid frame, said frame projecting forwardly and downwardly from saidpoint of attachment at an angle which will maintain said` frame abovethe line or" vision When, the head ot the wearer is in normal verticalposition7 and an adjustable head-.band attached to said foreheadeband'forolamping the forehead-band against the head of the wearer.

ln testimony whereof Iherennto Vaiix; my signature..

tali/wan winenastsn masseria 1.

